The best, cheapest car insurance in Kentucky

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Best car insurance company in Kentucky

Drivers in Kentucky pay an average of $2,228 a year or $186 a month for car insurance coverage which makes it the 7^th most expensive state in the country.

Even though car insurance is pretty expensive in Kentucky, it’s possible to find affordable coverage with top insurers such as Travelers, Auto-Owners, Shelter Insurance, and other insurers.

Shelter Insurance is our choice for the best car insurance in Kentucky. It finished first in our rankings with 4.66 out of 5 stars and an average premium of $1,917 a year, or $160 a month, which is $311 less than the state average.

Kentucky Farm Bureau was second with a score of 4.63 stars followed by Travelers with 4.3 stars.

The best car insurance companies in Kentucky

How we picked the top auto insurance companies

When choosing the top car insurance companies in the state, we not only looked at the average cost of coverage but also J.D. Power customer satisfaction scores, AM Best financial strength ratings and National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) complaint rankings. National averages were used where state/regional data was not available.

For each of the four metrics, we gave companies in each state from 1 to 5 (5 being the best) based on how they performed in each category. Those components were then given the following weights to arrive at an overall star rating.

• Premiums: 25%
• JD Power: 30%
• AM Best: 25%
• NAIC: 20%

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Cheapest car insurance in Kentucky

Travelers is the cheapest option for car insurance in Kentucky.

Insurers consider a wide variety of factors when setting a premium including your driving record, credit score, age and marital status as well the vehicle. Where you live also affects rates.

“States that have a higher rate of severe weather that damages cars or helps cause accidents will typically have higher rates,” says Chong Gao, director of product management R&D at Mercury Insurance. “Florida, for example, is prone to extreme weather like hurricanes and its car insurance costs are consequently much higher.”

Insurance companies crunch all this data with proprietary algorithms, which can result in dramatic differences in premium quotes.

The numbers highlight these differences. Farmers is the most expensive insurer in Kentucky with an average premium of $3,548 a year.

On the other hand, as mentioned above, the average premium for Travelers policyholders in Kentucky is $1,804 a year. Auto-Owners had the second cheapest coverage in Kentucky at $1,911 and Shelter Insurance rounded out the top three cheapest at $1,917.

Below is a list of the cheapest full-coverage car insurance rates in Kentucky for a 40-year-old driver of a 2023 Honda Accord LX.

Cheapest full-coverage insurance in Kentucky

Auto insurance premiums vary significantly from city to city, so drivers need to be sure they’re getting the best deal. Insure.com has done the research for you. Get more information on auto insurance rates by city below.

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Full coverage car insurance in Kentucky

As noted, the rates above are for full coverage car insurance. Full coverage car insurance simply means you are carrying liability and any other state requirements as well as collision and comprehensive.

Full coverage insurance includes collision and comprehensive, which protects your own vehicle. Collision insurance will pay to repair your vehicle when it is damaged after colliding with another vehicle or object. Comprehensive covers damage that is done by perils such as fire, theft, flooding, vandalism, and more.

Shopping for car insurance in Kentucky

Shopping around for coverage is a great way to make sure you are getting the best rates on your auto insurance. Experts often tell consumers to shop for insurance yearly. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you should be looking to switch.

“I recommend that people stay with the same insurance company, as they tend to get a better rate when they have been with the same carrier for more than 12 months. The more tenure you have with a carrier, the more potential there is to earn benefits,” says Tim Bottini, a Country Financial insurance agent based in St. Louis. “The carrier can also review your claims history and provide information about applicable discounts.”

But make sure you are comparing like coverage levels and deductibles.

“It is extremely important to make sure you start off with an apples-to-apples comparison,” Bottini says. “However, if a person has low limits, say 25/50/25 – limit per person/per occurrence/limit for property damage – I am going to recommend and quote at least 50/100/100. Depending on their age, income and profession, I would quote higher limits to protect their net worth and earnings potential.”

Bottini also says people can save money on their car insurance by keeping their credit score up, following the speed limit and placing both home and auto insurance with the same carrier.

Cheapest car insurance in Kentucky by age

Car insurance rates will vary by age as reams of statistics show that teen and young adult drivers, because they are inexperienced on the road, take bigger risks and are more likely to get in anaccident and file a claim, which is why they pay more for coverage than older more experienced drivers.

Travelers turned out to be the best insurer in Kentucky for drivers of all ages. The numbers show the difference between young and old drivers with the lowest premium for a teen coming in at 91% more than the lowest premium for a senior driver.

Once a driver hits 25, rates will start to drop, assuming they keep their driving record clean, and will stay stable until their 70s when they will start climbing a bit.

Cheapest car insurance for senior drivers in Kentucky

Seniors in the state pay more for coverage than all other driver groups, except for teens. Travelers is the most affordable option for seniors with a yearly premium of $1,782 or $149 a month. Shelter Insurance was the second cheapest at $1,785 and Kentucky Farm Bureau rounded out the top three at $1,929.

Seniors tend to pay more for coverage due to age. Many seniors suffer from vision and hearing issues as well as slowing reflexes. In addition, medications they may take can impact their driving. All of these factors combined lead to more accidents and claims which will result in a higher premium.

The chart below shows the average premium for senior drivers.

Average rates for seniors in Kentucky

Car insurance for young drivers in Kentucky

Young drivers (21-25) have seen their premiums drop from their teen years, but they still pay more than more experienced drivers. In Kentucky, Travelers is the cheapest option for young adults with a yearly premium of $2,760 or $230 a month.

Auto-Owners is the next most affordable with an average rate of $3,196 followed by Shelter Insurance at $3,443.

Young drivers who maintain a clean driving record can expect their rates to drop even more as they reach their late 20s.

The table below shows the best insurers for young drivers in Kentucky:

Average rates for young drivers in Kentucky

Car insurance for teen drivers in Kentucky

Adding a teen to a car insurance policy will always push up the rate. Teens are the least experienced drivers out on the road which leads to more accidents and claims and higher premiums.

“Teen drivers are statistically more likely to be involved in accidents due to their lack of driving experience and tendency to engage in risky behaviors like speeding,” says Eliezer Zupnick, founder of East Leads Group LLC. “Teens are involved in three times as many auto accidents per mile compared to drivers aged 20 and up, making them a high-risk category for insurers.”

For Kentucky teens, Shelter Insurance is the most affordable option with a premium of $5,244 a year or $437 a month. Auto-Owners is the next most affordable at $5,272 a year or $439 a month followed by Travelers running $5,540 a year.

If your teen has a B average or better, ask for a good student discount to help save a bit of money. Having your teen drive an older vehicle will also help save some money. If the car is old enough that you wouldn’t repair it after an accident, you may be able to drop collision and comprehensive.

The chart below shows average premiums for teens in Kentucky:

Average rates for teens in Kentucky

Average cost of car insurance in Kentucky

The average cost of car insurance in Kentucky is $2,228, which makes it the 7^th most expensive state in the country behind Louisiana and Florida.

Metropolitan areas – and all states have them – equals lots of drivers, which often leads to car crashes and claims.

“States with a higher population density have more cars on the road and thus more accidents and claims, increasing insurance rates. A more rural state like Iowa will have significantly lower average yearly car insurance costs compared to a highly metropolitan state like Kentucky,” says Gao.

Below are the cheapest car insurance rates by state. To calculate these rates, we used data for a 40-year-old driver of a 2023 Honda Accord LX – one of the most commonly insured vehicles – to provide a consistent and realistic comparison across states.

Average rates for a 40-year-old in Kentucky

Which Kentucky ZIP codes are the most expensive for car insurance?

Insurers consider the ZIP code where your car is parked when setting a premium. High crime rates or frequent severe weather will result in a higher premium.

According to our analysis, the following ZIP codes are the most expensive in Kentucky for car insurance. Freeburn tops the charts at $2,808 a year.

Here are the most expensive ZIP codes in Kentucky for car insurance:

Most expensive ZIP codes in Kentucky

Which Kentucky ZIP codes are the cheapest for car insurance?

When it comes to cheap car insurance in Kentucky, these ZIP codes have the most affordable coverage. The area around Adairville has the lowest premiums in Kentucky with an average premium of $1,805.

Least expensive ZIP codes in Kentucky

Cheapest car insurance for high-risk drivers in Kentucky

If you have an incident on your driving record, you may be considered a high-risk driver, and you will pay more for coverage. A speeding ticket, at-fault accident, or DUI can send your premium skyrocketing.

When we ran the numbers, we found that a speeding ticket in Kentucky will push the average rate to $2,495 and an at-fault accident will push it to $3,092.

An accident will stay on your record for at least three years so you will be paying a higher premium for quite a while after an accident.

A DUI will usually result in a massive increase and could push your premium into unaffordable territory. If you are convicted of a DUI, your rate on average will climb to $4,189 a year. A DUI will be reported to insurers for three years, and if you are a commercial driver, it stays on your record for 55 years.

The table below shows the average increase for drivers with various incidents on their record:

How much rates increase in Kentucky after a traffic incident

Minimum car insurance requirements in Kentucky

Most states require all drivers to carry a minimum amount of liability coverage to drive legally. Kentucky requires drivers to carry 25/50/25 in liability coverage, which translates into:

• $25k for bodily injury and $50,000 for death for a person involved in an accident
• $50k for bodily injury and $100,000 for death for two or more people in an accident
• $25k for property damage for a single accident

These required minimums are fairly average when compared to other states. However, these minimums are rarely enough coverage if you are involved in a serious accident. Once your coverage levels are exceeded, you will be on the hook for any remaining damage.

Experts typically recommend carrying 100/300/50 as a minimum liability coverage level.

What our expert says

Q: How does a state’s population affect car insurance rates?

Chong GaoDirector of product management R&D at Mercury Insurance.

“States with a higher population density have more cars on the road and thus more accidents and claims, increasing insurance rates. A more rural state like Iowa will have significantly lower average yearly car insurance costs compared to a highly metropolitan state like Kentucky.”

Mark Vallet

Contributing Researcher

 

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Mark Vallet is a Denver-based insurance expert and journalist with 18 years of experience covering the car insurance industry. He specializes in breaking down complex insurance topics into clear, expert-backed insights that help drivers make smarter insurance coverage decisions.

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